When Planning Becomes a Democratic Exercise

UNITAR has joined the University of Reims, HABITER Lab., Suez Environment and other partners in the organization of the second edition of the “Rencontres de Reims” on Sustainability Studies scheduled to take place on 26-27 September 2012. This edition will be an opportunity for UNITAR to follow up on the ideas exchanged during the High-Level Panel “After UNCSD: Are we on track for a 21st Century Social Contract?” that the Institute organized jointly with the Ethos Institute, a Brazilian CSR arm with more than 1’000 members, in Rio de Janeiro, on 23 June, and during which leading international thinkers called for new social contract. UNITAR will also provide inputs to a reflection on the role of knowledge sharing and capacity development for local governance in the context of the promotion of sustainable development.

This second brainstorming organized just three months after Rio+20 as part of the “Rencontres de Reims” series will bring together thinkers from around the world including Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Director- General of TERI, and Professor Ignacy Sachs who both contributed to the UNITAR-Ethos Institute High-Level Panel and issued a call for New Social Contract, as well as scholars from leading Brazilian, Swiss, Canadian, Indian, British and French research centers and universities.

The second edition of “Rencontres de Reims” aims to address questions related to the nature of planning as a “long term democratic project” based on coupled human-environmental systems, participative processes and new information models. Some of the objectives proposed for discussion include the type of society we aspire to, the compromises needed between interests of various groups, and the articulation between different decision-making levels. More information is available in the programme, the attached introduction note by François Mancebo, Head of the International Research Centre on Sustainability of the Reims University and Director of HABITER Lab, and on the website of the Sustainability Studies initiative.